There are several alternatives to formal charges available to police and CPS when dealing with adults, including cannabis and khat warnings, penalty notices for disorder, community resolution, simple cautions and conditional cautions.

Local authorities and other land managers can also issue fixed penalty notices as an alternative to prosecution for certain environmental and other anti-social behaviour offences.

Enforcing authorities may set the amount of fixed penalties for anti-social behaviour up to a statutory maximum of £100.

Enforcing authorities set their own level of fixed penalty for environmental offences, within the ranges specified in the Environmental Offences (Fixed Penalties) (England) Regulation 2017. A statutory default penalty amount may also apply if the enforcing authority has not specified a local fixed penalty amount.

To encourage prompt payment, enforcing authorities may offer recipients a reduction in the penalty if paid within 14 days. The minimum discounted penalty for environmental offences is also set out in the relevant legislation.